won't support him including the ranking senator james inhofe. he made that clear in his opening statement. now it is extremely rare for presidential nominees not to be confirmed, are and are senator dick durbin, the senate whip, said all 55 members of the senate democratic caucus will vote for him. so, in order to break the filibuster, he'd need the support of just five republicans. and one republican senator, thad cochrane, has expressed his support. let's bring in "time" magazine's assistant med tore and "washington post" columnist and msnbc contributor. we've already gotten a little preview as we heard from inhofe what some of the discussion is going to be about. what are you looking for here, e.j.? >> first of all, i think hagel is actually in pretty good shape. i think a critical event in this whole battle was when he met with senator chuck schumer and schumer gave his blessing, endorsed hagel. i think the one issue that could give energy to the opposition was whether hagel was pro-israel

and with schumer's blessing, schumer is a well-known supporter of israel. this was a signal to the pro-israel community, a lot of other people, leaders in that community have endorsed hagel. so i think that pushed him very close to nomination. i think it was very interesting that senator levin at the beginning of the hearing listed all of the controversial statements that senator hagel has made -- not all of them but a substantial list, and i think he was trying to signal hagel is going to have the chance to answer all of these and he, levin, expects him to answer them satisfactorily. i think it would be surprising if in the end hagel were not confirmed. >> is that what this hearing is going to be about? are we mostly going to hear questions about statements he's made about israel, about gays and so on? how much of it do you think will be it at the heart of what he's going to have to do which is l

balance the budget for one of the largers bureaucracies in the world at a time we snow a sequester is looming and budget cuts are coming. it's not going to be the easiest job in the world. >> absolutely not. i hope we hear a lot about that. it is one of the biggest issues. hearing a lot about his views on israel and on iran i think is going to be at the heart of this and will be important. that's one of the chief esh use facing the president in h to pr some of the statements he's made but i want to say that on the pro-israel/iran front i think hagel has simply said publicly what a lot of people think privately which is that military action against iran could be quite a disaster if done in a wrong way. i think a lot of his views are not as extreme as they've been portrayed as being. it's just that he has said certain things openly that are taken as status quo in private. >> and there is the debate that goes on occasionally, e.j., when we see confirmation of defense

secretary, whether or not combat experience makes you better at this. he is obviously a decorated vietnam veteran. but i'm wondering how that will inform how he answers these questions today and what kind of defense secretary he would be. >> first of all, i want to say something. his views aren't extreme and chuck schumer would not endorse somebody, his views on foreign policy are middle of the road. he wouldn't endorse somebody who was extreme. i think his vietnam experience is important. it's been noted and it's important that you now have at state john kerry and you would have at defense chuck hagel, two veterans of vietnam who look back and say we are ib clind to be very cautious before we commit american lives to any kind of foreign intervention. we want to be able to tell the troops. and hagel has characterized himself as an old sergeant, wants to tell the truth, so we need to make this fight. i think the good thing this

hearing if it went there instead of just kind of particular attacks or questions to hagel, if this hearing went to a larger discussion of president obama's foreign policy because in broad terms hagel is with obama. obama's view is this is a moment when we need to pull back a bit, rebuild at home, and rethink some of these commitments. the americans are tired of war at this moment, and i think hagel really represents that exhaustion with the war and the desire to sort of rebuild our military for the sake of our long-term strength. >> and essentially that's what inhofe said when he made his opening remarks. he said this is obama policy, and that's the problem that some of these conservatives have with it. we actually have that sound. so let's play that. we don't have it.

but essentially that's what he said, this is president obama's policy, and is that going to be what is the problem essentially with some of the more conservative senators which are on this committee? >> i think that's right. i think something that's unspoken, there is still neocon opposition to the idea we are going to have to be less interventionist, that it is not a black and white world, we're living a multipolar world, the economic component of foreign policy is going to become more important and i think he is in a line with the president on those things. >> and we do have the sound now, i'm told, so let's play it. >> senator hagel's record is deeply troubling and out of the mainstream. too often it seems he's willing to subscribe to a worldwide view that is predicated on appeasing our adversaries while shunning our friends. >> how much about this today could be about legitimate policy differenceses, do you think, e.j., and how much of it

politic political? >> i think the two are intertwined. i think there will be, i hope there is, as i said, a real argument here because if hagel's views are on trial, a neoconservative foreign policy view is also on trial because the very reasons they are against him have to do with his coming to oppose the intervention in iraq, his belief that we need a different approach in afghanistan. and so i think there will be all the way through this a real foreign policy debate. but this is also about a person. and so it is inevitable that some of the questions will be very focused on hagel. some of them fair. probably some of them not. >> there was an interesting article written about the senators to watch, because when you have so many of them, but, for example, ted cruz who has said he's opposed to hagel and said hagel consistently advocated weakness. lindsey graham who said hagel's

in-your-face nomination. gillibrand who may have questions. what will you be watching for or who, rana? >> again, i'm hoping this is going to be a real policy discussion, and i think on iran, we really need to have a big conversation about our position in iran, and i just want to say in terms of being perceived as weak or not aggressive enough about adversaries in the least, i disagree with that. if you look at economic sanctions in iran and working with partners around sanctions, they've been effective in large measure. i mean, are the government of iran is not very popular right now in large part because we've worked with partners. the president has come up with a coalition around sanctions, and those have been effective. i think they need more time to work. i think that perceiving somebody as not being strong because they're saying we don't want to rush into one of the most strategically important countries and have a military operation is the wrong approach.

>> syria is another challenge ahead. in a questionnaire hagel said this, i do not believe providing lethal support to the opposition will alleviate the horrible situation we see in syria. is that something else you'll be looking for, e.j.? >> i think there will be a discussion of syria. in saying that, hagel seems to be very closely following the policy of president obama. another way to look at the argument we're about to have is this is going to be an argument between george w. bush's foreign policy and his father's foreign policy. rana noted the whole policy to iran is premised on building broad alliances, in not being unilateral. well, that approach was the first president bush's foreign policy, and, in many ways, barack obama is the heir to the first president bush's foreign policy. and i think chuck hagel is close to that which is why he's gotten support from some of the first president bush's closest foreign

policy advisers. >> i completely agree. that's just the right way to frame it. there's a lot of overlap between the first president bush and hagel. he's a pragmatist but he's tough. he's not on one end of the spectrum. he's willing to talk. and you have to talk. it's a big world out there and the u.s. is not the only power anymore. >> let's talk about some of the other possible nash points here in that written questionnaire he said he is supportive of women in the military. james inhofe is not. >> yeah, well, that's one of those questions he's going to have to answer a. i know there's been issues in the past with his positions around women in the military. you know, i'm willing to be open to the idea maybe he's evolved and i'd like to hear more about it in the discussions. >> afghanistan, the question, e.j., where are we heading? there are still 66,000 troops on the ground. in his written answers he didn't talk numbers which was probably very good decision in terms of staying away from committing himself to anything too spes i

can, but will they push him for some specific numbers? >> i'm sure they will push him and i don't think he'll let himself be pushed, because the other person who really hasn't provided specific numbers yet is president obama. i think there is still some debate inside the administration over exactly how to proceed in afghanistan. i think there were those inside the administration who would like to speed our withdrawal, others who are committed to keeping a certain number of troops there and there's an argument about how many should be there. so i don't think hagel is going to get out ahead of the president on afghanistan. >> we'll take a quick break. the introductions, the formal introductions by two former senators, sam nunn and mark warner are concluding. then we'll hear what is expected to be a pretty beefy opening statement by chuck hagel himself. we'll take a quick break and be back with more of this hearing.

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and so we are about to get under way with the meaty part of this which is going to be the testimony from that man, the former two-term senator from nebraska, chuck hagel. the nominee to succeed leon panetta are for defense secretary. he's tried to pave the way by meeting with at least 60 different senators. he's also had meetings with pan pap, panetta, of course. let's listen to chuck hagel. thank you, chairman levin, ranking member inhofe, and distinguished members of the committee. i am honored to come before you today as the president's nominee to be secretary of defense. first, as you suggested, mr. chairman, let me introduce my family. my wife lily beth, my son zar and daughter ali are not with us. our son claims he's taking a

test. we'll confirm that later. but both our son and daughter that we are very, very proud of, and i think, like any proud father and any proud mother, you all know how i feel about that as you have the same feelings about your children. it's the same way we feel about ours. i also want to introduce my brother tom who served with me in vietnam. my brother mike who is our number three brother and, i might add, who actually possesses any talent our family has. he has in the pentagon ten paintings as chairman of the air force artist guild over the years, and they're hanging in different locations in the

pentagon, so we have one brother of some acclaim. and one of us did make it, my brother mike. mike's son is sitting behind him, josh. he is one of three children that mike has. we have here, also, cousins, many friends, people i owe money to -- and who knows who else i have received some publicity over the weeks. i want to also thank my friends sam nunn and joran warner. i want the to thank them for their support, their encouragement, and their friendship over many years. and as each of you who had the privilege of serving with those

two senators, i, too, had my thanks for their tremendous service to our country. these two distinguished americans represent what's best about american public service and responsible bipartisanship. they have embody ied both in thr careers, long distinguished careers, and are models for each of us. and, of course, to my family, friends, and fellow veterans who are here as has been noted, max cleland, jan scruggs, good friends, veterans from all wars who are here today who i worked with for many, many years. i'm grateful to them. not just to those friends and supporters and fellow veterans who are here but those who are not. thank you. a life is only as good as the family and the friends you have. and the people you surround yourself with. i also want to thank my friend

leon panetta for his tremendous service to our country over so many years. if i'm given the privilege of succeeding him, it will be a high honor. president obama, for his confidence and trust in me, i thank him. i'm humbled by the opportunity and the possibility he's given me to serve our kcountry once again. and i fully recognize the immense responsibilities of the secretary of defense. i assured the president that if i am confirmed by the united states senate, i will always do my best. i will always do my best for our nation and for the men and women and their families who are called on to make the enormous sacrifices of military service. their safety, success and welfare will always be at the forefront of the decisions i make. i also assured the president that i would always provide him with my most honest and informed advice. i make that same commitment to

this committee and to the congress. if confirmed i will reach out to the members of this committee for advice and collaboration. it will be a partnership because the national security challenges america faces require it. our nation's security is the highest prosecutor of our leaders and our government. we can not allow the work of confronting the great threats we face today to be held hostage to partisanship on either side of the aisle or by differences between the bodies represented in articles i and ii of our constitution. the stakes are too high. men and women of all political philosophies and parties and ideas die and fight for our country. as this committee knows so well, protecting our national security or committing a nation to war can never become political litmus test. i know secretary panetta has put a strong emphasis on reaching out to the congress. i, like leon, come from the

congress and respect and understand this institution's role in setting policy and helping govern our country. we're all products of the forces that shape us. for me, there has been nothing more important in my life or a more defining influence on my life than my family. whether it was helping my mother raise four boys after my father, a veteran, died suddenly at age 39 on christmas day or serving side-by-side my brother tom in vietnam or the wonderful miracle of my wife and me being blessed with two beautiful children. that is who i am. we each bring to our responsibilities frames of reference. these frames of reference are formed by our life's experiences. they help instruct our judgments. we build out from those personal

foundations by listening and learning. like each of you i have a record, a record that i'm proud of. i'm proud of my record not because of any accomplishments i may have achieved or certainly because of an absence of mistakes but rather because i've tried to build that record living my life and fulfilling my responsibilities as honestly as i knew how and with hard work. we must always be striving to make a better and more secure place for all our people. during the 12 years i had the privilege of serving the state of nebraska in the senate, i cast over 3,000 votes. i've given hundreds of speeches and written a book. as you all know i'm on the record.

no one individual vote, no one individual quote, no one individual statement defines me, my beliefs or my record has never changed. we must lead in the international community. to confront threats and challenges together and take advantage of opportunities together. that we must use all our tools and american power to protect our citizens and our interests. i believe, and i always have believed that america must engage in the world, not retreat from the world but engage in the world. my record is consistent. we are living at a defining time. our nation is emerging from over a decade of war. we have brought our men and

women in uniform home from iraq and have started to bring them home from afghanistan. that does not mean that the threats we face and will continue to face are any less dangerous or complicated. in fact, it is quite the opposite. recent events in mali and algeria remind us clearly of this reality. 21st century complexities, technologies, economies, threats are bringing 7 billion global citizens closer together than ever before. and as our planet adds another 2 billion people over the next 25 years, the dangers, complications and human demands will not be lessened but rather heightened. despite these challenges, i believe we also have historic opportunities to help build a safer, more prosperous, more secure, more hopeful and just world than maybe at any time in the history of man for all people. yes, hate tread and intolerance

exists and we must be clear eyed about this danger. and we will be. we will not hesitate to use the full force of the united states military in defense of our security. but we must are also be smart and, more importantly, wise. wise in how we employ all of our nation's great power. america's continued leadership and strength at home and abroad will be critically important for our kcountry and the world. while we will not hesitate to act unilaterally when necessary, it is essential that we work closely with our allies and partners to enhance america's interests and security as well as global security. if confirmed, i will continue to build on the efforts of this administration and former secretaries gate, secretary panetta and secretary clinton to strengthen our alliances and partnerships around the world. i will also look forward to working with my former senate

colleague, your colleague, and our friend, john kerry, in this pursuit. as i told the president, i am committed to his positions on all issues of national security specifically decisions that the department of defense is in the process of implementing now. this includes the defense strategic guidance the president outlined in january 2012. allow me to very briefly address a few of those specific issues now. first, we have a plan to place -- a plan in place to transition out of afghanistan. continue bringing our troops home and end the war, which has been the longest war, as we all know, in america's history. as you also know, discussions are ongoing about what the u.s. presence in afghanistan will look like after 2014. the president has made clear, and i agree, that there should be only two functions for u.s. troops that remain in afghanistan after 2014,

counterterrorism, particularly to target al qaeda and its affiliates, and training and advising afghan forces. it's time we forge a new partnership with afghanistan, with its government, and, most importantly, with its people. second, as secretary of defense i will ensure we stay vigilant and keep up the pressure on terrorist organizations as they try to expand their affiliates around the world. in places like yemen, somalia, and north africa. at the pentagon that means continuing to invest in and build the tools to assist in that fight such as special operations forces and new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies. and it will mean working hand-in-hand with our partners here at home, across the national security intelligence communities to confront these and other threats especially the emerging threat, the very dangerous and real threat of cyber warfare.

third, as i have made clear i am fully committed to the president's goal of committing iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. and as i have been on record on that issue and as i've said in the past many times, all options must be on the table to achieve that goal. my policy has always been the same as the president's, one of prevention, not of containment. and the president has made clear that is the policy of our government. as secretary of defense, i will make sure the department is prepared for any contingency. that's my job. that's my responsibility. i will ensure our friend and ally, israel, maintains its qualitative military edge in the region and will continue to support systems like iron dome which is today saving israeli lives from terrorist rocket attacks. that support i have always made clear. and been on the record for.

fourth, while we pursue the reductions in our deployed stockpiles and launchers cons t consistent with a new treaty, i am committed to maintaining a modern, strong, safe, ready nuclear arsenal. america's nuclear deterrent over the last 30 35 years has played a central role in ensuring global security and a the avoidance of a world war iii. i have been committed to that. my record is clear on that. i am committed to modernizing our nuclear arsenal. as we emerge from this decade of war, we must also broaden our nation's focus overseas as we look at future threats and challenges. as this committee knows, that's why dod is in the pacific region. we are in the process of modernizing our defense posture across the region to defend and deepen our partnerships with traditional allies especially japan, south korea, and us a

trail yeah. to continue to defer and defend against provocations from states like north korea as well as nonstate actors. and to expand our networks of security cooperation throughout the region to combat terrorism, counter proliferation, provide disaster relief, fight piracy and ensure maritime security. i will continue this rebalancing even as we it continue to work closely, closely with our lo longtime allies of nato and our friends and with allies and p t partners and friends in other regions of the world. at the same time we will continue to focus on challenges in the middle east and north africa where we have clear national interests. rather as recognition the united states has been and always will be a pacific power. in the asian pacific power it is increasingly vital to america's security and economic interests. that's why we must become even more engage d in the region ove

the incoming years. doing all this and much more will require smart and strategic budget decisions. i have made it clear i share leon panetta's and our service chief's serious concerns about the impact sequestration would have on our armed forces. and as someone who has run businesses, i know that the uncertainty and turbulence of the current budget climate makes it much more difficult to manage the pentagon's resources and our national security. if confirmed, i'm committed to effectively and efficiently using every single taxpayer dollar the right way to maintain the strongest military in the world and to working with congress to ensure the department has ret sources it needs and that the disposition of those resources is accountable. even as we deal with difficult budget decisions i will never break the commitment to our troops, our veterans and our military families. we will continue to invest in the well-being of our

all-volunteer force and working with the va and other institutions we will make sure our troops and their families get the health care, job opportunities, and education they have earned and deserve. just as i did when i co-authored the 9/11 gi bell with webb, lautenberg and john warner. this includes focusing on the mental health of our fighting force because no one who volunteers to fight and die for this country should ever feel like they have nowhere to turn. that's unacceptable for this country. in my 12 years in the senate, my one guiding principle on every security decision i made and every vote i cast was always this. simply this. is our policy worthy of our troops and their families and the sacrifices that we ask them to make? that same question will guide me

if i am confirmed as secretary of defense. our men and women in uniform and their families must never doubt their leader's first priority is them. i believe my record on veterans issues over the years going back to my service in the veterans administration under president reagan demonstrates my rock solid commitment to our veterans and their families. we must always take care of our people. that's why i will work to ensure everyone who volunteers to fight for this country has the same rights and same opportunities as i've discussed with many of you in our meetings. i am fully committed to implementing the repeal of don't ask/don't tell. and doing everything possible to provide equal benefits to the families of all -- all -- our service members and their families. i will work with the service chiefs as we open combat positions to women, a position i support. i will continue the work leon panetta has done to combat

sexual assault, sexual assault in the military, maintaining the health and well-being of those who serve is critical to maintaining a strong and capable military. in institutions people must always come first. as we look ahead to the coming years, we have an extraordinary opportunity. an opportunity now, at this moment, to define what's next for america's military and our country. it is incumbent upon all of us to make decisions that will ensure our nation is prepared to confront any threat we may face in the future, protect our citizens, and remain, remain, the greatest force for good in the world. if confirmed as secretary of defense it will be my great honor working with the president, this committee, the congress, and our military to ensure our policies are worthy of the service and sacrifice of

america's men and women. thank you, mr. chairman. i look forward to your questions. >> thank you very much, senator hagel. the opening statement for chuck hagel and what is expected to be a very long day in front of this committee, 28 questioners sitting and waiting. in the meantime i want to bring in a member of that committee, senator blumenthal who just stepped out to be with us. good morning. >> good morning, chris. >> you have said you will reserve judgment until after this hearing. what are your concerns? >> my concerns have been whether chuck hagel supports the present policy on iran, which is to stop a nuclear armed iran not simply contain it, also his commitment to israel and its security in the middle east as a vital ally, but equally important his commitment to building the necessary weapons systems such as two submarines a year, the joint strike fighter, which are necessary for that strategic vision that he outlined today. and i've been reassured by his private statements to members of

the committee, including myself, as well as some of what he said today. for example, about sexual assault and his commitment to combatting it as well as to the don't ask/don't tell policy which he opposed at some point. i think he has revisited many of his views, revised them and made them consistent with the president's policies. >> you are comfortable with what i think are the two major criticisms that have been talked about, written about. one is comments he's made about gays, how he would feel about -- he was a supporter of don't ask/don't tell and now we are looking at women in combat roles. he suggested in his written answers, as you well know, that he would be supportive and implement that and also his comments about israel. are you comfortable on those two fronts? >> i am gaining a very high comfort level. i've said i'm going to wait until after the committee hearings, and i anticipate no surprises in the remainder of

the proceedings. i'm comfortable with what he's said so far, and i believe i will be a vote for him. >> and regarding those two particular areas, israel and gays, there were statements he made that have been controversial and i think part of his opening statement was meant to address that. let me play a little clip for people who are just joining us. >> no one individual vote, no one individual quote, no one individual statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record. my overall world view has never changed. that america has and must maintain the strongest military in the world, that we must lead in the international community to confront threats and challenges together. >> do you think that's a fair statement to say that no one individual quote or statement e defines a person? >> that may be fair in some instances but votes and quotes

do count. they indicate beliefs and stands on issues. he will have to defend those as ar articulate and reflected in votes he's made. the most important point here, chris, i really think here is the president deserves a leader of the department of defense in whom he has confidence to carry out his policies. after all, the buck stops with the president who has made clear his commitment to the don't ask, don't tell policy, to combat roles for women, to other policies that i believe are essential including treat iing r military men and women who suffer from emotional wounds, psychological, traumatic stress or brain injury. the wide ranging set of policies that secretary panetta began, i hope, will be carried on by chuck hagel. but, in fact, quotes and votes

do matter. they have consequences and they're part of the reason we judge nominees. >> ultimately do you think chuck hagel will be confirmed? >> i think he will be. having spoken to many of my colleagues i think there is an increasing comfort level to go back to the very -- used with chuck hagel because of the visits that he's made, because of the administration's defense of him in further articulating his present stance. people have a right to evolve in their positions and if chuck hag hagel has evolved in the right direction, so be it and the president deserves an enlisted man. the first ever to lead the department of defense who cares about the men and women of our military who, after all, are our greatest asset. i visited afghanistan three times. i am so impressed by this next, greatest generation. if chuck hagel can gain their confidence and lead them, he will be a very, very able

secretary of defense. >> senator, i know you want to get back into the hearing room. it's very kind of you to step out and speak with us. senator richard blumenthal, thank you. we were both taking notes. what are you going to be looking for over the next several hours is this. >> i think that what we heard was someone who is a strong pragmatist and that's exactly what we expected to hear. i think his policies and the ideas he outlined were right on track with the obama administration. we will use whatever means necessary to prevent a nuclear weapon but we will use american power wisely. we are going to be strategic about it. we heard about the pivot to asia which has been an important part of obama policy. that hasn't happened yet because of the strife in the middle east. that is something very important. if you look at a heat map where conflict is expected to be short, mid, and long term, it moves to asia. we also heard about technology and tech development, and i

think something we haven't talked about yet is drones. that's going to be a big thing on the agenda for the defense department going forward. >> and on the cover of "time" magazine. >> read our great piece. >> e.j., what will you be looking for over the coming hours? >> i think what he did there was to try to answer many of the questions that senator blumenthal put on the table when he talked to you a moment ago. rana, i think, emiffphasized th. he was committed to the president's goal of keeping iran from getting nuclear weapons so he's trying to get rid of any squishiness on that and he said he's for prevention, not containment. that may be a bit of a c confirmation conversion. nonetheless, it was important that he said that. he made a very strong statement in support of israel. on the other side he clearly wanted to make sure that his left flank was covered, so he made a strong statement in favor of repealing don't ask/don't tell and he endorsed the

decision to let women -- military women into combat. i think the sound bite he hopes comes out of this is when he said that his prime way to judge all these things is, is our policy worthy of our troops and their families and the sacrifice we'll ask them to make? his trump card always is going to be that he served, that he got wounded, that he went through a very difficult war. and the subtext is to ask some of the members of the committee, do you really want to oppose somebody who has this kind of military record and does these sorts of things for our country? >> e.j. and rana, thank you for staying with us. he perfecting cr of a bb cream equal? introducing the newest beauty trend. total effects cc cream c for color. c for correction. [ female announcer ] fight 7 signs of aging flawlessly. cc what's possible. yeah. it's his thing. i don't even participate.

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♪ don't know what i'd do ♪ i'd have nothing to prove [ male announcer ] introducing the celebration diamond collection. zales is the diamond store. let love shine. president obama is stepping up pressure to pass an immigration reform bill. the president said he'd like a bill on his desk as early as

june. >> really the issue here is not so much technical as it is political. it's a matter of republicans and democrats coming together and finding a meeting of the minds and then making the case. i'd like to see if we can get it done sooner in the first half of the year if possible. >> there does seem to be some momentum. there are also roadblocks, some conservatives pushing back despite efforts by republican marco rubio to sell a bipartisan senate plan. >> i love and respect marco. i think he's just amazingly naive on this issue. this is the same old formula that we've dealt with before including when it passed in 1986, and that is promises of enforcement and immediate amnesty. and, of course, the promises of enforcement never materialize. the amnesty happens immediately. >> let's bring in b.e.t. columnist keith boykin and msnbc

contributor robert traynham. it's no coincidence the president spoke to the big guys, the anchors for the top two spanish language stations. obviously part of a larger strategy. you just heard david vitter say this is the same old thing. is the mood the same old thing and what's the white house strategy here in this, what they're trying to do is a pretty quick push. >> i think the momentum is on their side. he just got re-elected to president, won the latino vote. republicans are concerned about that. and there's a consensus from a political perspective and i think for policy reasons that this is the ship that's moving now. they have to get on it if they want to be onboard. and i think the republicans, there's some momentum on their side to get something done. it may not be everything the president wants but i would be shocked if there weren't some sort of comprehensive immigration bill passed. >> to that point there is movement in the polls, a new poll that finds voters largely agree with the president on the big general issue.

51% say undocumented workers should stay and apply for citizenship. 20% say they should stay but as guest workers, 24% say they should leave. of course then you have those conservatives like david vitter who called marco rubio's approach naive. robert, on the republican side, how are they going to navigate this? >> i think they're going to navigate it the same way democrats are going to navigate and the president mentioned this, and that is to have a meeting of both sides to come together. i'm not concerned with what senator vitter said a few moments ago and the reason why is because it's not surprising that some conservatives will come out against this and i'm sure some democrats will come out and not support this as well. that's what xroe mace is all about. this is really a complex issue, a national security issue, an economic issue, and a very complex issue from a guest worker standpoint because the crop growers in the western part of our country have a very different immigration problem or

concern, if you will, as opposed to our high tech sector that has a very different immigration or high-tech problem. so this is a very, very nuanced issue and to paint a broad brush by saying this is going to be amnesty or it's hard to enforce i think quite frankly is naive for the senator are to say but much more complex than that. >> you even have rand paul saying republicans need to evolve on the issue and the president will continue to do what he has been doing successfully, using kind of the campaign strategy to go out and get people behind him. how important is that in this overall strategy? >> i think the president has all the wind at his back so, yeah, he has to do that. he has the advantage for that. the problem for the republicans is, and i think robert was alluding to this, they have a right wing of their party that still doesn't get it on these issues. and so there are smart republicans out there trying to fight and do the right thing on immigration because they know it's to their advantage. there are some people, the tea party crowd and others, who don't see it's to their advantage. the republicans have to figure

out how to get those different components together. >> is the problem? the house? apparently there is a secret group who are working together to try to come up with their own ideas, but we heard from sam johnson of texas, and here is what he said. quote, if you are here legally, you ought to be rewarded. if you are here illegally, you ought to be deported. what about that? >> well, again, it's much more complex. you just can't round 6 million people up and send them back home. logistically it's impossible. secondly, more importantly from an economic standpoint, our economy would simply collapse. back to another point you mentioned and the president mentioned this. this really is a political issue. both sides, both republicans and democrats obviously want to reach out to the latino vote and make that a part of their majority and a permanent coalition. historically hispanics have always gone to the democrats from an economic issue but also historically latinos and hispanics have been aligned with the republican party from a

cultural perspective. there's a lot of low-hanging fruit from both sides, if you will, to create some type of natural home for this type of constituency. the question becomes who will do that request much sincerity and who will do that quickly? >> gentlemen, great to see you today. thank you. we continue to watch the confirmation hearing of senator chuck hagel to be the next defense secretary and today's tweet of the day comes from the national journal's ed fournier. i think it's ron fournier. catch me up. does gop have a focused attack on hagel or are they all over the map? are they against him or merely against obama? but i still hav. [ male announcer ] truth is, a lot of sinus products don't treat cough. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope, but alka seltzer plus severe sinus does it treats your worst sinus symptoms, plus that annoying cough. [ angry gibberish ] [ fake coughs ] sorry that was my fault sir. [ male announcer ] alka seltzer plus severe sinus. [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is!

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some breaking news out of north texas in kauffman county where two people opened fire on a kaufman county employee near the courthouse this morning. the victim has been taken to the hospital, condition unknown. the courthouse is on lockdown. we will keep you posted on that developing situation. and let's get a live look at

capitol hill where defense secretary nominee chuck hagel is getting some tough questions from senators at his confirmation hearing. if confirmed, he, of course, would have to deal with hot spots such as iran, iraq, afghanistan. but you might be surprised to learn he could also play a pivotal role in the roiling gun control debate. our next guest says hagel could single-handedly do more to advance gun control than almost anyone else. slate contributor and yale law student sam kleiner. thank you for coming in. >> thanks for having me today. >> you wouldn't think a defense secretary would have an issue on the hot button domestic issue right now but it happened starting back with donald rumsfeld in the bush years. explain. >> absolutely. so in 2005 when hagel was still in the senate, there was a bill pushed through the senate with the help of the pentagon called the protection of lawful arms and commerce act. and what that bill did was unprecedented. it blocked states and cities from being able to bring lawsuits against gun manufacturers and was a huge

handout to the nra. that bill only passed because donald rumsfeld's pentagon weigh ed in and said the pentagon need this had to protect the gun industry. what chuck hagel can do is help undo the damage the pentagon has done by pushing through a new memorandum that would say this really isn't something that the pentagon wants. obama will need his whole cabinet onboard to get this done. chuck hagel is someone we don't think about who could be a leader on gun control but could be instrumental in making sure gun control is something that happens. >> what would be the net effect of a memorandum like that? >> it would be a huge step forward for the pentagon in undoing what i call the unholy alliance between the pentagon and the nra. when this bill was passed wayne lapierre came out and said this is one of the biggest pro-gun legislation accomplishments in 20 years, and he was right. it did a huge amount of damage, the abilities of cities and straights across the country to hold gun companies accountable.

if hagel goes forward and says, look, what the pentagon did under rumsfeld was wrong, we can start to undo that damage. there is congressman adam schiff. what we could do is make it so that gun manufacturers are accountable. >> is there any other company that supplies to the military that has this kind of protection? >> absolutely not. building tanks, planes, automobiles, what have you for the military, all those companies are still held accountable in the normal market for the kinds of products they put out there and gun companies shouldn't be any different. what we have here is another example of the nra-backed legislation which is just a hand out to the gun industry which is really who is sponsoring it in many ways. the nra was saying if we don't have this bill then gun companies will go bankrupt but that's not true. we need to go forward and correct this and hagel could take a really important step in doing that by going forward and saying the pentagon is reversing its position on this. >> sam kleiner from slate. people can read the article. it's fascinating. thank you so much. something we didn't think about what's going on now on capitol

hill, the hearing that is ongoing for chuck hagel. that is going to wrap up this how. i'm chris jansing. thomas roberts is up next. good morning, thomas. >> hi, chris. good morning to you. good morning, everybody. we will continue following what's taking place in washington, d.c., right now. on the agenda much more of chuck hagel facing critics, republican and democrat and what are the odds of him getting confirmed? we have an all-star lineup for you, host of "the ed show" will join me, the co-host of "the cycle" will be here and one of hagel's staunchest supporters, john kerry. police taking out the underground bunker where a 6-year-old boy is being held hostage after being kidnapped from his school bus at gunpoint. and then on a different note, a san francisco 49ers player apologizing for saying that gays wouldn't be welcome in his locker room. should he be fined or banned from the super bowl for making those comments? i'll ask three-time college all-american wrestler hudson

taylor. he has taken up homophobia in sports with his organization called athlete ally. we'll talk to him about big names that are joining his efforts. that and much more next hour. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. great taste. mmm... [ male announcer ] sounds good. it's amazing what soup can do. with fancy feast mornings gourmet cat food. (announcer) [ mamake mornings special,good. mornings are delicious protein rich entrees with garden veggies and egg. fancy feast mornings. the best ingredient is love.

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